Wellness

[LilacTree]

On 2/15/2015 bullyluv said: I have never heard of ribs dislocating! You poor thing, I can only imagine the pain! Take care and keep us updated.

It is not unusual in osteoporosis. Hopefully you will never have to worry about it!

[brii]

On 2/16/2015 Ford1224 said:

On 2/15/2015 brii said:

Ford, I'm so sorry you have to deal with things like this all the time. You have a great outlook despite everything.

Take care.

Thanks brii. Being a strong woman yourself (which I can tell), there is no point in crying the blues. We all have our challenges in one way or the other. I have never been a "why me?" type in any situation. Sure, I lose it once in a while, but mostly because of family situations, not my health issues. I actually feel lucky all of this happened to me so late in life. I was able to enjoy many happy and healthy times for many decades.

It's always a pleasure to read your posts.

[LilacTree]

On 2/15/2015 annabellethecat said:

What the OP said is exactly what happens to my back. Think about it, every nerve in your body goes through your spine. When my vertebra comes down over the nerve and muscles, it is unbelievable pain.

It happens constantly. After 12 years of this I know how to reset it, but it pops right back out again.

There isn't an operation that can fix it. So far nothing has helped. Many Drs many operations, nothing fixes it.

So you get it, you understand. I tried the kyphoplasty once and it did not work. I will not try it again. I don't think we have the same issues, but yours sounds just as painful and frustrating as mine, if not more so. Is there a medical name for what's happening to you? I am not familiar with it.

[RetRN]

I am so sorry that you suffer from severe osteoporosis. You are definitely a strong lady and I admire your strength. Please be careful. Your positive outlook gives courage to many of us. I'm glad that you are able to remember the happy times and try to put things in perspective. I always enjoy your posts.

[LilacTree]

On 2/16/2015 RetRN said:

I am so sorry that you suffer from severe osteoporosis. You are definitely a strong lady and I admire your strength. Please be careful. Your positive outlook gives courage to many of us. I'm glad that you are able to remember the happy times and try to put things in perspective. I always enjoy your posts.

Thank you RetRN . . . coming from a nurse (for whom I have much more respect than most doctors), that means a lot to me.

[sfnative]

Ford,

I feel your pain and so sorry this happened to you. It happened to me in the early 90s, but in the back where one of my ribs attached to a thoracic vertebrae. Woke up in bed in horrible pain and simply could not move. Had DH kinda roll me, scoot me, then bring me to a sitting position. I called my chiropractor and begged him to come into his office on a Saturday and I would pay double, if he would adjust whatever needed adjusting. Found out when he had me on the table that it was that darn rib. Now I ask you - how in the heck did that happen while I was asleep? I don't thrash in my sleep and DH didn't sock me in the back, so this remains a mystery. Very strange. Never had it happen again.

I sincerely hope you don't have a repeat of it and have days of diminishing pain toward total healing.

(After shoulder surgery, I sustained a dislocation of my collar bone from the breastbone on the left - same side as surgery - and it took months to stop hurting.)

Good luck and God Bless - Rebecca

[NoelSeven]

On 2/16/2015 Ford1224 said:

On 2/15/2015 NoelSeven said: Ford, have you discussed this with your rheumatologist? There can be other causes for dislocations.

My orthopedist is the doc I go to for osteoporosis. He is wonderful, very helpful, and doesn't try to constantly put meds on me. He is a realist and knows there's really not much that can be done. The kyphoplasty did not work, I still have pain in those vertebrae (he is not a surgeon and did not do the surgery). He is honest with me that these dislocations and vertebral compressions are probably going to plague me for the duration.

Rheumatologists nowadays do nothing but prescribe biologic meds, which I refuse to take, so they have no interest in me. I had one laugh at me the last time I went when I said what if the med he was prescribing did not work? He stood across the room at least six feet away from me and laughed and said "Well, then we just try another one! Ha ha ha!" Had I not been in my wheelchair I would have walked out of the room right then and there. The "examination" never happened. He could see the stage I'm at and had absolutely no interest. I hate to say it, but I have been to five or six rheumatologists and, except for one, they are the scavengers of supposed "specialist" physicians.

I also went to an endocrinologist who wouldn't performs a POTS test on me because he said "I don't want you falling on the floor in my office." I went to him to test my adrenals, and he never did it. Did standard bloodwork which I have had done hundreds of times and charged $550 for the visit (which thankfully Medicare paid 80%).

I have chronic physical conditions that will take a while to get me. Otherwise, I am told I'm fairly healthy. Rheumatoid arthritis does affect the internal organs as well as the bones and outer body (skin lesions, etc.), so that will probably affect me eventually in one way or another. One of the most prominent and bothersome symptoms is the extreme fatigue and exhaustion, and the associated Sjogren's gives me dry eyes and mouth and chronic itching, which can be worse than pain. Pain, I am used to.

I know you are just trying to help NoelSeven and thank you.

I was trying to help you And I do hope you're OK.

What I meant was, there is another disorder in which bones are easily dislocated. It is almost always diagnosed by a rheumatologist. Very few others are trained to spot it.

[LilacTree]

On 2/16/2015 sfnative said:

Ford,

I feel your pain and so sorry this happened to you. It happened to me in the early 90s, but in the back where one of my ribs attached to a thoracic vertebrae. Woke up in bed in horrible pain and simply could not move. Had DH kinda roll me, scoot me, then bring me to a sitting position. I called my chiropractor and begged him to come into his office on a Saturday and I would pay double, if he would adjust whatever needed adjusting. Found out when he had me on the table that it was that darn rib. Now I ask you - how in the heck did that happen while I was asleep? I don't thrash in my sleep and DH didn't sock me in the back, so this remains a mystery. Very strange. Never had it happen again.

I sincerely hope you don't have a repeat of it and have days of diminishing pain toward total healing.

(After shoulder surgery, I sustained a dislocation of my collar bone from the breastbone on the left - same side as surgery - and it took months to stop hurting.)

Good luck and God Bless - Rebecca

So you know pain well also, my friend. It does take a long time.

I have broken vertebrae in my sleep as well. I guess if they're going to break, it doesn't matter what you're doing, they're just going to break. I read the other day that once one breaks, compresses, or gets crushed, the chances of it happening again are 85%. And that it only takes six months to a year for that to happen. I am on time with that.

My heart goes out to you as well, Rebecca.

[LilacTree]

On 2/16/2015 NoelSeven said:

On 2/16/2015 Ford1224 said:

On 2/15/2015 NoelSeven said: Ford, have you discussed this with your rheumatologist? There can be other causes for dislocations.

My orthopedist is the doc I go to for osteoporosis. He is wonderful, very helpful, and doesn't try to constantly put meds on me. He is a realist and knows there's really not much that can be done. The kyphoplasty did not work, I still have pain in those vertebrae (he is not a surgeon and did not do the surgery). He is honest with me that these dislocations and vertebral compressions are probably going to plague me for the duration.

Rheumatologists nowadays do nothing but prescribe biologic meds, which I refuse to take, so they have no interest in me. I had one laugh at me the last time I went when I said what if the med he was prescribing did not work? He stood across the room at least six feet away from me and laughed and said "Well, then we just try another one! Ha ha ha!" Had I not been in my wheelchair I would have walked out of the room right then and there. The "examination" never happened. He could see the stage I'm at and had absolutely no interest. I hate to say it, but I have been to five or six rheumatologists and, except for one, they are the scavengers of supposed "specialist" physicians.

I also went to an endocrinologist who wouldn't performs a POTS test on me because he said "I don't want you falling on the floor in my office." I went to him to test my adrenals, and he never did it. Did standard bloodwork which I have had done hundreds of times and charged $550 for the visit (which thankfully Medicare paid 80%).

I have chronic physical conditions that will take a while to get me. Otherwise, I am told I'm fairly healthy. Rheumatoid arthritis does affect the internal organs as well as the bones and outer body (skin lesions, etc.), so that will probably affect me eventually in one way or another. One of the most prominent and bothersome symptoms is the extreme fatigue and exhaustion, and the associated Sjogren's gives me dry eyes and mouth and chronic itching, which can be worse than pain. Pain, I am used to.

I know you are just trying to help NoelSeven and thank you.

I was trying to help you And I do hope you're OK.

What I meant was, there is another disorder in which bones are easily dislocated. It is almost always diagnosed by a rheumatologist. Very few others are trained to spot it.

I will be talking to my orthopedist tomorrow. I promise I will ask him about that. He will be honest with me. Thanks again.

[LilacTree]

My daughter was here to bring stuff for my rib. It is exactly what I need, she went to a medical supply store to get it. I can't believe she went out in this frigid weather to get that for me. And this is my sick daughter. She bought me a wrap around elastic rib support with soft little pillows that I can but under my breast. We put it on and it is making a huge difference.

I can't believe she did that, as sick as she herself is, and in this severely cold weather. I had texted her not to because of the weather and she said, "OK," and then walked in an hour later with all of it anyway. My girls are amazing.